Brief History

Colombia has been inhabited for almost 12,000 years, and the first people developed small hunter-gatherer societies. The two main civilizations were the Tairona and the Muisca, which were organized into tribes and ruled by a chief. The Spanish arrived on Colombian soil in 1499 and built their first permanent settlement of Santa Maria in 1525. The Spanish began to mine an extensive amount of gold, and then used slave labor and their newfound wealth to build fancy buildings. After almost 300 years of Spanish rule, the native people decided it was time to fight back. After fighting for freedom, they gained independence and formed the Republic of Greater Columbia in 1810. Since then, Colombia has faced two major Civil Wars, however the country in recent times has been peaceful.

National Flag

The National flag of Colombia is a horizontal tricolor of yellow, blue, and red. The flag symbolizes Colombia’s independence from Spain and was adopted by law on November 26, 1861.

Geography

World Land Mass Ranking: 26th

Highest Mountain: Pico Cristóbal Colón, 5,730 m (18,800 ft)

Longest River: Magdalena River, 1,528 km (949 mi)

 

Main Languages

Spanish

Columbia Population: 50.3 million (as of 2019)
Capital City: Bogota
Capital City Population: 7.2 million (as of 2018)

Climate

The climate of Colombia is usually tropical and isothermal due to its proximity to the equator. This means that temperatures don’t vary too much year-round. The rainy season in Colombia usually lasts from April to May and again from October to November.

Key People

• Shakira
• James Rodríguez
• Juanes
• Sofía Vergara

 

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  Cuisine

  The cuisine of Colombia varies depending on the region. The diverse cuisine is influenced by native culture, as well as the flora and fauna of the country. Rice, corn, potato, cassava, legumes, meats, and seafood are all common ingredients in Colombian cooking. Tropical fruits, including feijoa, dragon fruit, papaya, passionfruit, guava, blackberry, and granadilla, are also popular. The national dish of Colombia is Bandeja Paisa, which is made up of white rice, red beans, ground or minced beef, plantain, chorizo sausage, corn, pork crackling, fried egg, arepa  and avocado.

  The picture is a picture of Bandeja Paisa, the national dish of Colombia.

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  Sports

  The most popular sport in Colombia is football, and the Colombian Football Federation was founded in 1924. The most successful period for the national Colombian football team was in the 1990s when they qualified for three world cups. Along with football, cycling, roller skating, and bullfighting are popular in Colombia. The next most popular sports are cycling, roller skating, tejo, rana, chaza and bullfighting.

  The picture is a picture of Mariana Pajón at the 2016 summer Olympics.

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  Culture

  The culture of Colombia is similar to other Latin American countries and is largely influenced by Spain. Many elements of indigenous culture are still prominent in Colombia, despite heavy influence from other countries. Traditional cuisine, folklore, dancing, and music are still prominent. Catholicism was introduced to Colombia by the Spanish, and today About 70% of Colombians are Roman Catholic. Other important parts of Colombian culture are literature, film, architecture, festivals, and painting.

   

  The picture is a picture of folkloric dancing in Colombia.

   

  Columbia is a beautiful country with wonderful people.

   

  Download questions about the Columbia here: Columbia (answers are on this page)

   

  Teachers. For more in depth work sheets on Columbia. Click on Kidskonnect Worksheets

   

  For further reading and more info on the Columbia visit https://kids.kiddle.co/Colombia